it was only by Susan, I led them outside and to the gazebo. By the time we sat down on the matching sofas, the fresh air was already healing my nausea and fuzzy head.
As much as I wanted to avoid talking about Vincent, I knew I needed to get it over with. Turning to Leo, I said, “On Sunday morning, I bumped into your father right after he got the call about your suspension. He was pissed, and he blamed me for everything. For the fight and for Tristin leaving and for Hayle’s bad mood the last few weeks.”
I glanced at Hayle, whose eyes had noticeably widened. “He told me if I didn’t find a way to fix all of it, he was going to send me back to Kansas.”
Leo flexed his fingers, as though he was getting ready to take a punch. “That’s bullshit. None of those things are your fault.”
“That’s not entirely true. You wouldn’t have gotten in a fight in the middle of a game if it wasn’t for me.”
“Stop.” He reached across the few inches between us to place a hand on my thigh. “I wouldn’t have gotten in a fight if that idiot hadn’t been spouting...” He didn’t finish the sentence, saying instead, “Or if I’d been able to control my temper. It’s not on you.”
“Yeah, well, your father disagrees. And I have no idea how he expects me to fix your suspension. It’s not like I have any influence over whoever makes those decisions.”
Leo moved closer to wrap an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his firm, warm body, realizing I’d been wrong earlier. I could accept his offer of strength without admitting to my own weakness. It didn’t have to be one or the other.
“Don’t worry about my suspension. Dad knows even he doesn’t have the influence to change that decision, so he doesn’t expect you to.”
“Okay, but what about Tristin? I guarantee you he does expect me to fix that.”
“This might be a crazy idea,” Hayle said, “but you could try talking to Tristin.”
I laughed harshly. “Oh, I did.”
Leo stiffened slightly. “You did? When?”
“Sunday, after the confrontation with Vincent.”
Shit. Was that seriously only two days ago? It felt like so much longer. Yet, the hurt over Tristin’s rejection was still as fresh as it had been when I was standing in the rain, waiting for Petra to pick me up.
“What did he say?”
I stared down at my hands, which I had been twisting in my lap without realizing it. “Nothing particularly interesting,” I hedged. Even though I was pissed at Tristin, I didn’t want his brothers to know he’d declared that he was done being a Sharpe. Hearing that had hurt me, and I wasn’t even related to him.
“Thea,” Leo warned. “Tell us.”
“Honestly, he didn’t say much. He basically told me that he wanted to be left alone.”
“And?”
I compared my two thumbnails, noticing that one was longer than the other. I probably needed to invest in a nail file instead of relying on nature to keep my nails even.
“Thea.” Leo raised his voice this time, and I forced myself to look at him. “What else did he say?”
I wasn’t sure how he would react to this next piece of information, but I figured it would be better coming from me than Tristin. “He was questioning whether you two actually care about him, so I told him that you’d confessed the truth about the accident to Violet.”
Leo didn’t visibly react. “Okay. Then, what?”
My gut twisted as I recalled the cruel words Tristin had said about not giving a shit about his siblings. “Then, nothing. He shut himself in the cabin, and I left.”
Hayle perked up. “Cabin? As in, the cabin of a boat?”
Fuck. I’d been so distracted remembering, I’d let his location slip. I could try to argue it had been a cabin in the woods, but I knew Hayle wouldn’t fall for it. “Yes.”
“How did he manage to buy a boat without Dad finding out?”
“He didn’t. A guy that used to work for your dad owns it, and he’s letting Tristin stay there.”
“What guy?”
I thought back. “Tristin said he and Vincent didn’t part on good terms. George, maybe? No, Greg.” That sounded right.
He nodded. “Greg Sorenson. He and Dad used to be good friends, but Dad fired him probably...” Hayle froze, and I could see the gears in his head turning. “Anyway, it was years ago.”
I thought about pressing him for more information, but I was tired of talking about all